Nanotechnology refers to a field involving manipulation and manufacture of materials and devices on the scale of nanometers (i.e., billionths of a meter). Structures the size of few hundred nanometers or smaller (i.e., nanostructures) have garnered attention due to their potential in creating many new devices with wide-ranging applications, including optic, electronic, and magnetic applications. It has been envisioned that nanostructures may be used in manufacturing smaller, lighter, and/or stronger devices with desirable optical, electrical, and/or mechanical properties. However, to successfully realize such devices, significant challenges must be overcome. New and improved tools are needed to control the properties and structure of materials at the nanoscale. Further, new and improved tools are needed for assembling such materials into nanostructures and for the further assembly of such nanostructures into more-complex devices.